read da buk -- first full sentence from Ruby

My niece Ruby, like all the women, seriously, in our clan, is brilliant. Her first whole sentence, which her mom and I had to convince ourselves was the baby talking because she started saying 'ree da buk' around ten months, was 'read the book'.

My sister, just as I did with my daughter, had begun reading to her baby in utero. Once born, from day one just about (maybe not at the hospital!), I read to my daughter and my sister read to hers.  Our girls were readers, as we had been.

Both my daughter and my niece also became gifted writers. My sister is a writer. I am a writer.

And we are all full bosomed!  Tacky aside, couldn't resist.

Anyway, before she was walking, Ruby often would start saying, ree da buk, and when someone did not get what she said and pull out a book on the spot and start reading, she would say it louder and louder. She was a stubborn baby and toddler. My sister used to say "ruby is stoic and intrepid". She was and, I imagine, she is, although I haven't seen my niece since 2007.

Ruby is now a full academic scholarship student at Smith. My daughter had an academic ride to Cornell, from which she graduated magna cum laude!

Proud mama.

Proud aunt.

Smart women run in my gene pool. Smart men too but Irish girls are the best, as any Irish person knows.